Gizmag Team

Electric motorsport pioneer Azhar Hussain has been awarded an MBE for his services to motorsport in the United Kingdom's Queen's Birthday 2011 Honours List. Hussain is the founder and CEO of eGrandPrix, the organization behind TTXGP, the world's first sanctioned clean emission motorcycle race. Launched just two years ago at the Isle of Man TT, TTXGP is now the leading electric racing series in the world.
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Military computer manufacturer Black Diamond Advanced Technology has released its ultra-rugged wearable PC and communications kit as a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) system. Adaptable to a range of specialist missions, the Modular Tactical System (MTS) system is - as the name suggests - not just a pack containing a computer. Components are split-up are and integrated into different parts of the soldier's uniform and equipment so that mobility isn't compromised, and it's designed to make the transition from computer operation to direct combat engagement in seconds.
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The tablet frenzy sparked by the launch of Apple's iPad in April 2010 and the success of eReaders like the Kindle has seen many new players enter the market in the past year ... and there were bound to be some casualties. The enTourage eDGe looks to be one. The company has officially closed the content store for its eDGe and Pocket eDGe eReaders and there are reports that the dual-screen hardware will follow suit.
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Combining lighting with audio by using a light socket to power a wireless speaker is a two-in-one approach that appears to be gaining traction and this latest example - the Sound of Light speaker - grabbed our attention on both the functionality and aesthetic fronts. The Sound of Light system uses a Texas Instruments 2.4 GHz Purepath Digital Signal Transmitter to set up a wireless link between an audio device such as an MP3 player, smartphone or tablet and up to four speakers within a 300 ft range.
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Swiss researchers have claimed a new world record efficiency of 18.7% for flexible copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) solar cells on plastics. Flexible CIGS solar cells have the potential to drive down the price of solar electricity because they are cheaper to produce and this latest breakthrough brings them closer to the highest efficiency levels achieved by crystalline silicon and rigid CIGS cells.
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Seagate has set a new commercial benchmark for HDD storage by breaking the 1 TB areal density barrier. The company has announced it will bring the world's first 3.5-inch hard drive with 1TB of storage capacity per disk platter to market in its GoFlex Desk product line, with the 3 TB Barracuda XT desktop hard drive (3 x 1 TB platters) expected to hit shelves in mid-2011.
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Peugeot has dropped the HYbrid4 technology found in its 2010 SR1 Concept into a very different beast for the Shanghai Motor Show. The SXC (which stands for Shanghai Cross Concept) has a 1.6 liter, 160 kW internal combustion engine driving the front wheels and a 70 kW electric motor driving the rear, providing the option of electric-only two wheel drive or a four wheel drive hybrid mode.
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Queuing at the gas pump is no fun, but imagine if everyone in the line was taking hours, not minutes, to top up the tank. Catering for long charging times is one of the challenges of building a workable infrastructure for electric vehicles, and Coulomb Technologies is taking this factor into consideration in the development of its open-platform ChargePoint Network. Last year the company introduced an app that locates the nearest charging station and tells you whether its in use. In its latest innovation, drivers can ease their range anxiety by reserving charging stations ahead of time.
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Nintendo will show a playable model of the next-generation Wii gaming console at E3 Expo in June. The company confirmed the reveal date in a short statement earlier today and although there's still no official word on exactly what the successor to the Wii (codenamed “Project Cafe”) holds in store, the rumors are gaining momentum.
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Suzuki is having a bet each way in the performance vs fuel efficiency stakes with the unveiling of two new additions to its long-running line of Kizashi concepts at the New York International Auto Show. While the Kizashi EcoCharge hybrid concept combines a 2.0-liter petrol engine,15kW motor and a 115-volt air-cooled lithium-ion battery to optimize fuel efficiency, it's show floor stablemate the Kizashi Apex Concept is geared toward performance.
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